Spend a spring evening at the Wildflower Center for a screening of The Secret Garden (1993). 🌿

Join us Thursday in our auditorium for this beloved, family-friendly classic about a hidden garden brought back to life.

🍿 Complimentary popcorn
🎟️ $5 members | $10 non-members
🕕 Doors open at 6 p.m. | Film begins at 6:30 p.m.

Get tickets: wildflower.org/event/movie-night-the-secret-garden

Athena may be the star of the nest, but her mate plays an important role behind the scenes. During the breeding season, male Great Horned Owls are responsible for hunting and bringing food back to the nest while the female incubates the eggs and cares for the young.

In the first clip, Athena’s mate arrives on a nearby ledge to keep watch over the nest while she takes a short break from incubation. After a few minutes, Athena returns to settle back over the clutch and her mate departs.

In the second clip, he makes a dinner delivery. Male owls typically provide food for their mates throughout incubation and early chick-rearing, delivering prey to help keep the growing family fed.

Keep up with Athena and her mate on our 24/7 livestream with @cornellbirdcams: wildflower.org/athena

#AthenaTheOwl #WildflowerCenter #OwlCam

We’re back with another look at what’s blooming in the gardens, and this week horticulturist Hannah Armstrong joins our Director of Gardens and Collections Kyle Cheesborough to highlight a few native plants putting on a show right now.

Plants mentioned:
Ungnadia speciosa (Mexican buckeye)
Chrysactinia mexicana (Damianita)
Aesculus pavia (Red buckeye)
Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon)
Viburnum rufidulum (Rusty blackhaw)
Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet)

If you’re looking to avoid SXSW traffic this week or start your spring break off right, consider this your reminder that the gardens are a great place to be!

🥪🍧 Food trucks will be on site this weekend from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while our café renovations continue.

Come see the first signs of spring: wildflower.org/visit

#WildflowerCenter #AustinTX #TXWildflowers

Looking for wildflowers this spring?

Our 2026 Texas Wildflower Forecast suggests more varied blooms across Texas this year due to continued drought and uneven rainfall. But here at the Wildflower Center, our staff and volunteers cultivate native plants year-round, creating the conditions for beautiful blooms throughout the season.

Read the full forecast (link in our bio!): wildflower.org/pressroom/2026-wildflower-forecast

#TXWildflowers #NativePlants #GoNative

And then there were two. 🥚🥚

Today, Athena revealed a second egg while shifting in the nest. Our resident great horned owl (and Austin’s Owl Ambassador) returned to the nest on March 4 and laid her first egg the next day.

Great horned owls typically lay two eggs per clutch, so the nest may now be complete, though we’ve been surprised before! If all goes well, the eggs will incubate for about five to six weeks before hatching.

Watch the nesting season live:
wildflower.org/athena

🎥 @cornellbirdcams

#Athena #AustinTX #BirdCam

The gardens are waking up! Our Director of Gardens and Collections, Kyle Cheesborough, is back — this time joined by Horticulturist Amy Medley — to highlight a few plants putting on a show right now:

Texas mountain laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) - Famous for its grape-scented purple blooms and one of Central Texas’ most beloved signs of spring.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) - A native vine with trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds love.

Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) - Bright yellow blooms that provide early nectar for pollinators and later produce tart red berries enjoyed by wildlife (and people).

Honorable mentions also blooming across the gardens right now:
🌸 Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)
🌺 Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
💜 Tradescantia gigantea (giant spiderwort)
🌼 Tetraneuris linearifolia (four-nerved daisy)
💙 Lupinus texensis (bluebonnets)

There’s a lot to see out there right now. Come take a walk and tell us what you find: wildflower.org/visit

#StayWild #Wildflowers #AustinTX #NativePlants

Austin, we’ve got some good news this morning. 🦉 Athena is back on the Wildflower Center owl cam, and she’s laid her first egg of the season.

This video shows the first daylight glimpse of the egg, a few hours after it appeared overnight.

In most years, Athena lays two eggs, typically about three days apart, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for a possible second egg soon.

Watch the live cam and learn more about Athena at wildflower.org/athena (links in our bio)!

The cam is made possible through our partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We’re looking forward to another season of watching Athena and her family together.

🎥 @cornellbirdcams

#AustinTX #AthenaTheOwl #GreatHornedOwl #BirdCam